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UK in deep freeze as parts of Scotland see -15C temperatures

A car is driven along a snow-covered lane in Brenchley, southeast England
A car is driven along a snow-covered lane in Brenchley, southeast England

Parts of the UK will continue to be beset by snow and ice tomorrow - with the potential for the country to experience the coldest night of the year for a second day running.

The Met Office has issued a yellow snow and ice warning covering northern Scotland and north-east England from midnight tomorrow until noon on Thursday.

A separate snow and ice warning covers the Shetland Islands until midnight tonight.

There is also an ice warning covering much of the south-east, including London and Brighton from 9am on Monday until 11am on Tuesday.

Met Office spokesman Oli Claydon said there will be heavy snow in some places again tomorrow.

"Coming into force at midnight tonight all the way through to lunchtime on Thursday, (there is a) large snow and ice warning covering the North East of England, the whole sort of northern portion of Scotland, as well as the Highlands and islands," he said.

Snow covering the rail tracks for the London Underground lines in Willesden Green, northwest London

He said there could be "as much as 15 to 20 centimetres of snow accumulating over high ground".

Mr Claydon said northern Scotland could record even colder temperatures tomorrow after breaking the record for the coldest night of the year today.

"In terms of temperature, we could see another very cold night, especially in parts of Scotland where we've got that lying snow," he said.

"We saw -15C last night. We could see similar or potentially even colder tonight under clear skies with that snowfall lying in some places.

"So a very cold night there but also broadly very cold across the whole of the UK, with widespread freezing conditions."

Mr Claydon urged commuters across the UK to "leave a little bit more time" if driving and to travel with "a bit of extra caution".

It comes after commuters faced travel chaos this morning as large parts of the UK were hit by ice, fog and snow.

It was the coldest night of the year so far, with temperatures in northern Scotland dipping below -15C.

The Met Office said the lowest temperature recorded was -15.6C at Braemer in Aberdeenshire, with the five next coldest temperatures all recorded in Scotland, including -13.1 at Balmoral.

Meanwhile, three boys aged eight, 10 and 11 died after falling into an icy lake in Solihull, near Birmingham, yesterday afternoon.

A fourth boy, aged six, remains in a critical condition in hospital.

Local fire officials warned people to stay away from open water and avoid venturing on to ice, regardless of how thick or safe it may appear.

A car drives slowly along a snow covered road in the early morning in northwest London

Drivers on some of the UK's busiest motorways faced closures and bumper-to-bumper traffic, with snow and "jack-knifed lorries" causing issues for commuters.

Several railway lines are experiencing major disruption all day, while in London there are delays to London Underground trains, with most lines affected.

More than 300 flights due to serve UK airports were cancelled across yesterday and today, with Heathrow, Gatwick, Manchester, Stansted and Bristol among those affected.